Visiting Paris in the spring
For some’s a real big thing
But those on the go and in the know
All head instead to Bordeaux
It was there eighteen assembled
With Road Scholar on April ten
Eleven courageous women
And seven almost as brave men
We came to conquer modern France
Each ready to change their life
Equipped with weapons they would need
A corkscrew, fork and knife
We didn’t know each other
But soon would intermix
In what was our French evolution
Of twenty twenty six
Julie told us of Eleanor
And the stories about her written
How once she was the queen of France
And later the same of Britain
Lunch had lots wine, of course
And every one agrees
No one could have done a better job
Than Francoise in that cave of cheese
A trip to Saint-Émilion was next
Where there was an excellent talk
Inside a remarkable medieval church
Carved out of a single rock
Off to a winery to get some food
It had vintners offerings too
And then, surprise (!), Francoise again
Who walked us through Glou Glou
France began dancing before our eyes
Thanks to Benoit’s magic bus
Scenic vistas, narrow roads
And rapidly expanding guts
The purple lilacs and wisteria
The rivers Dordogne and Lot
Noxxo found the truffles
But we ate what he got
Magnificent vineyards, ancient chateaus
Underground caves galore
Horses, mammoths, and rhinos
Painted thousands of years before
Some had spots, others wool
And the artists’ hands were clear
But no well-defined human forms
And what was the deal with the reindeer?
Footprints 30,000 years old
From ancient humans walkin’
I need to talk to Indira about this
She asks me to clean too often
A trip into the bowels of Earth
Left everyone transfixed
Imagine riding metal boats
Across the river Styx
We learned in French that ciel is sky
And bouchon’s a bottleneck
And for “What’s it all about, Albi?”
The answer is Lautrec
We saw his work at Moulin Rouge
The art we’d gladly choose
But sadly none of us have got
That much money, Toulouse
We learned of medieval miracles
In Rocamadour, and then, surprise!
Sherrod had one of them occur
Right before her eyes
Now perhaps you think that’s funny
Or maybe you find it quaint
But keep in mind if she gets two more
She’ll be Road Scholar’s first saint
Now last, before I close this verse
It’s important that we speak
To the leader of our French evolution
Who, of course, was Dominique
She handled reservations
And narrated many talks
Made sure no one got left behind
On any of the walks
I learned a lot from her this trip
So now I have one simple aim
To be as happy as Dominique
On a Harley at a rugby game
Merci, merci, merci, Dominique
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